Now they're going after Halloween

[msjprincess]

I'm sure the schoolchildren are just riveted to not being able to parade in costumes and to instead have to listen to some stuffed shirt drone on about some comparatively obscure historical figure their school happens to be named after.

Did you read a description of what's planned for the day or are you just speculating?

Just because it's in his name doesn't mean there won't be fun activities for the kids.

 

[wonder whisper]

Who is William Mitchell and why should his *** replace Halloween?

I'm sure T-shirt and baseball caps with "William Mitchell" printed on them are selling like hotcakes right now in Needham.

 

[wonder whisper]

Really? Are you sure? Or are they not using the word "Halloween" when referring to THEIR festivities? They changed the name of their festivity. So that means teachers and students aren't allowed to say the word "Halloween" in class or hallways?

They can say it all they want, but the the Principal has said it can not be celebrated in any way in the school. That is why the tradition of a HALLOWEEN parade has been stopped and Tuesday 10/31 is can only be referred to as "black and orange day" in the school.

 

[sam_gordon]

They can say it all they want, but the the Principal has said it can not be celebrated in any way in the school. That is why the tradition of a HALLOWEEN parade has been stopped and Tuesday 10/31 is can only be referred to as "black and orange day" in the school.

So if they can say the word, then it's not banned, which is what you said.

Sorry, I still don't see the big deal. They're still having a party, so kids will still have fun. They can still talk about the Holiday, so they're still learning. So where's the problem?

 

[wonder whisper]

Did you read a description of what's planned for the day or are you just speculating?

Just because it's in his name doesn't mean there won't be fun activities for the kids.

Pray tell, please share with us all the wonderful activities planned for "William Mitchell Day." Let's see, given it can't it involve any Halloween activities, the bureaucrats running the event will inevitably plan on generic fall events that are already readily available all over New England. Oh, yeah, apple bobbing -- if that already hasn't been banned in Needham for safety reasons -- hay rides (behind a loud, polluting tractor), apple picking (albeit I doubt the park they are using is an orchard), pumpkin carving? no, that won't be allowed because it related to Halloween ( and is kind of silly to be doing over a week after that holiday and just three weeks away from Thanksgiving). Oh, I know, they'll make a "game" out "who knows the most about William Mitchell." Fun, fun. fun....

 

[RedAngie]

Some people (millennials ? ) actually believed that Halloween would be on Friday, October 13th this year.

 

[soccerdad72]

Pray tell, please share with us all the wonderful activities planned for "William Mitchell Day." Let's see, given it can't it involve any Halloween activities, the bureaucrats running the event will inevitably plan on generic fall events that are already readily available all over New England. Oh, yeah, apple bobbing -- if that already hasn't been banned in Needham for safety reasons -- hay rides (behind a loud, polluting tractor), apple picking (albeit I doubt the park they are using is an orchard), pumpkin carving? no, that won't be allowed because it related to Halloween ( and is kind of silly to be doing over a week after that holiday and just three weeks away from Thanksgiving). Oh, I know, they'll make a "game" out "who knows the most about William Mitchell." Fun, fun. fun....

You could have just saved everyone a lot of time and said you were speculating (e.g. making crap up).

 

[msjprincess]

Pray tell, please share with us all the wonderful activities planned for "William Mitchell Day." Let's see, given it can't it involve any Halloween activities, the bureaucrats running the event will inevitably plan on generic fall events that are already readily available all over New England. Oh, yeah, apple bobbing -- if that already hasn't been banned in Needham for safety reasons -- hay rides (behind a loud, polluting tractor), apple picking (albeit I doubt the park they are using is an orchard), pumpkin carving? no, that won't be allowed because it related to Halloween ( and is kind of silly to be doing over a week after that holiday and just three weeks away from Thanksgiving). Oh, I know, they'll make a "game" out "who knows the most about William Mitchell." Fun, fun. fun....

I don't know I'm not involved in the planning and neither do you.

 

[sam_gordon]

The semantic game again. The Principal officially cancelled the sole school event related to Halloween and stated Tuesday 10/31 within the school
will be referred to as "black and orange" day, NOT "Halloween". Not translating that into anything less then a ban on Halloween being celebrated in the school is with all due respect a form of denial.

So you can use words in a different way than what they mean. So I'll say "Black and Orange Day" means "Halloween". After all, it's just a question of semantics, right?

I still don't think you've said what is so bad about this change. And BTW, did you ever say who "They" are that you reference in the thread title?

FWIW, I'm not against schools having Halloween Parties. I think it's fine if schools want to have Halloween parties and parades. I think it's ridiculous to be so up in arms about schools NOT having Halloween parties and parades.

 

[sam_gordon]

Pray tell, please share with us all the wonderful activities planned for "William Mitchell Day." Let's see, given it can't it involve any Halloween activities, the bureaucrats running the event will inevitably plan on generic fall events that are already readily available all over New England. Oh, yeah, apple bobbing -- if that already hasn't been banned in Needham for safety reasons -- hay rides (behind a loud, polluting tractor), apple picking (albeit I doubt the park they are using is an orchard), pumpkin carving? no, that won't be allowed because it related to Halloween ( and is kind of silly to be doing over a week after that holiday and just three weeks away from Thanksgiving). Oh, I know, they'll make a "game" out "who knows the most about William Mitchell." Fun, fun. fun....

So they don't need to do things in schools they can do elsewhere? Is that what you're saying?

Isn't showing off costumes already readily available all over New England?

 

[wonder whisper]

I don't know I'm not involved in the planning and neither do you.

I didn't state you knew nor do I. I simply speculated as to what the school sanctioned replacement for Halloween (described in the news report as a "community harvest/autumn "celebration") would consist of.

And BTW, anyone interested in the local reaction in MA to the Needham action should check out the comments in the below link:

http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2017/09/halloween_events_canceled_at_e.html

What is particularly interesting in those comments is the discussion on the increasing use of the term "inclusivity" as an excuse to cancel or amend traditions.

 

[Hikergirl]

Wow some of those people are overly dramatic, it is a couple of schools. I went to elementary 30 years ago, we didn't have Halloween celebrations so anyone that is questioning "what is happening to our country" can rest assured that it is nothing that hasn't been happening for at least the last 3 decades. These schools finally got with the program.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I had no idea Lutherans and Methodists celebrated All Saints Day; I thought only Catholics did.

Baptists sure don't. Most of the more conservative denominations I know of like to have "Hell Houses" for scaring kids straight instead of celebrating Halloween (at least they did 10 years ago). And ignore Nov 1 all together.

 

[wonder whisper]

Wow some of those people are overly dramatic, it is a couple of schools. I went to elementary 30 years ago, we didn't have Halloween celebrations so anyone that is questioning "what is happening to our country" can rest assured that it is nothing that hasn't been happening for at least the last 3 decades. These schools finally got with the program.

I feel you are generalizing based upon your own experiences.- I do not recall hearing media reports about schools officially canceling Halloween celebrations back in the 1990s. Nor were we in an environment then like we are now of hyper sensitive "I am offended by....." which is a comparatively recent trend (As example, the apparent rush to steam clean the entire country of any monuments related to the Confederacy only started in the past year).

 

[sam_gordon]

I feel you are generalizing based upon your own experiences.- I do not recall hearing media reports about schools officially canceling Halloween celebrations back in the 1990s. Nor were we in an environment then like we are now of hyper sensitive "I am offended by....." which is a comparatively recent trend (As example, the apparent rush to steam clean the entire country of any monuments related to the Confederacy only started in the past year).

Well back in the 90s, news organizations didn't have nearly the "space" they have to fill now. Whatever their primary media is (television, radio, print), now you have a website, a twitter account, and a FB page at minimum.

I also guess back then most people were more "who cares there's no Halloween celebration".

 

[Hikergirl]

I feel you are generalizing based upon your own experiences.- I do not recall hearing media reports about schools officially canceling Halloween celebrations back in the 1990s. Nor were we in an environment then like we are now of hyper sensitive "I am offended by....." which is a comparatively recent trend (As example, the apparent rush to steam clean the entire country of any monuments related to the Confederacy only started in the past year).

LOL, it seems the only ones offended by anything are the ones that have an issue with changing Halloween celebrations into something more inclusive during the school day.

Back in the 90's (I have to make a correction, I was in elementary in the 70's, early 80's) people just didn't think such things were worth reporting to the media. They just aren't that big of a deal or worth all the drama some create about it.

 

[bethbuchall]

I had no idea Lutherans and Methodists celebrated All Saints Day; I thought only Catholics did.

Baptists sure don't. Most of the more conservative denominations I know of like to have "Hell Houses" for scaring kids straight instead of celebrating Halloween (at least they did 10 years ago). And ignore Nov 1 all together.

Lutherans are often referred to "Catholic light" and honor many of the same holy days. In my personal experience, All Saints Day was more often marked on All Saints Sunday instead of another service on November 1st, but we all knew the meaning/importance of All Saints Day. In our case, saints refers to all those who have died, so it's a remembrance of loved ones who have died, particularly in the past year.

 

[wonder whisper]

I also guess back then most people were more "who cares there's no Halloween celebration".

Not necessarily, per your own points about technology we simply may not have as readily heard from those who disagreed. Their letter of complaint about the actions of the principal to the local newspaper wasn't picked up by the wire services . Nor was there going to a meeting of the local school committee and stating they disagreed with what a school administrator had done.

 

[luvsJack]

I feel you are generalizing based upon your own experiences.- I do not recall hearing media reports about schools officially canceling Halloween celebrations back in the 1990s. Nor were we in an environment then like we are now of hyper sensitive "I am offended by....." which is a comparatively recent trend (As example, the apparent rush to steam clean the entire country of any monuments related to the Confederacy only started in the past year).

Maybe you haven't been listening for these reports or no one decided it was a huge deal to throw a fit about? But it has been going on for while.

This weekend I will take my granddaughters to a Halloween party complete with a spooky hayride. Next week I will take them to a local Halloween Carnival and the next week to a Fall Festival. All pretty much the same and all equally as fun.

The difference in the 90's and now? It didn't make the news. It was decided by each school or each community and it just was the way it was. No one cared what the darn celebration was called.

 

[wonder whisper]

The difference in the 90's and now? It didn't make the news. It was decided by each school or each community and it just was the way it was. No one cared what the darn celebration was called.

Again, generalizations with no factual support, particularly your claim "no one cared."

In comparison, the home haunt forums I frequent have lengthy threads where people from across the country who have been doing home Halloween haunts for decades share in detail many prior aborted attempts from years past by local officials to "regulate" Halloween (school event cancellations, setting some date other 10/31 as "Halloween, mandating hours for TOT, etc.) in their communities.

What is different from today is the fact that in almost all the cases shared, the bureaucratic meddling was either completely shot down or significantly limited after residents gave said officials a very strong piece of their mind.

Which is something people in MA were once proudly known for.